This grid shows possible expansion routes. There's several paths that we can take along the mountains to the south, or the ones to the north. I've circled our possible, optimal scouting location. There's also worker actions, which will aid our expansion (quicker units). I will also request that our Provincial governor look at this diagram. :)



http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads/fanatika_expand_4000bc.jpg

Sounds like a good plan. If we build a road to that Game resource, It can provide us with food and comerce :D.

i think the northwest is our most viable option. the quickest, most profitable improving can be done there, and the terrain to expand to is likely to be simlarly fertile.

neutral leader is a good, responsible provincial governor

Our words are backed with NUCLEAR WEAPONS!!!

Here's our growth potential. A bit cluttered, but the numbers are food/shields/commerce. A good estimate is to 'count the 2s'. I came up with a size 10 city with no irragation improvements. More than likely, this will be our max output throughout antiquity. There's also a little 'smudge' (if you look closely by that circle and question mark). It could be cattle, furs or spices. Furs most likely, as we're up north.

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads/fanatika_growth.jpg

Chieftess, next time you make a map, push the delete key on your keyboard. The game interface will disappear so you can get a clean shot.

On the exploration subject, I recommend sending the first warrior north by the sea. That'll be our best bet for grasslands.

I think it would be wise to found the capital one tile north. It looks like a coastline there. A coastline capital with a fresh water source is worth the loss of a turn of production.

I like that idea. We will still have adequate food resources, and good access to mountains for shields. Capitals usually have the best production, and we can easily pump out both land and naval units.

But, how do we even know if we're one an island, or another huge pangaea?

That's what happens when you pick random...

Either way, there's no harm in a good navy. The lack of a river will make a slight dent, but if we build it on the coast, we can get the extra commerce from it.

Regardless of whether we are on an island or a pangaea a coastal capital is a gigantic advantage over a capital one tile away from the coast.

I kinda like your idea Shaitan. The "on the coast or one tile away" is a good arguement. We had a rececnt example of that. Moving the settler one tile North would turn that grassland from a 2/0 tile to a 2/1 tile, so that would be a good thing. But, I'm wondering, is that just another large lake to the North of the little one? And will the loss of the production shields be compensated or covered by the commerce created and the available Navy production?

By moving 1 tile North we would lose 4 hills, a mountain, and 3 forests (unless there are more of these to the NE). As the capital city *Bavaria* will be our production powerhouse, I think we should keep these in our city radius. Of course, if CT is right and the little black mark is furs, I'm going to kick myself.

Just my 2g.

I second the move north for the settler.
What about moving the worker north first and if the furs resource is true there, then settle at that spot?

Just my 2/100g (equals 2c)

*looks at map*
I know city placement is not really my responsibility, but I think the city should be placed one tile to the north.
The mountains to the SE and S would provide good vantage points, but I think the best expansion would be to the NW where the lands seem fertile and verdent.

Originally posted by Almightyjosh
*looks at map*
I know city placement is not really my responsibility, but I think the city should be placed one tile to the north.
The mountains to the SE and S would provide good vantage points, but I think the best expansion would be to the NW where the lands seem fertile and verdent.

You know ALJ, you are still a mere citizen which does entitle you to speak out and give input on all issues faced by our country. Being governor/senator neither diminishes nor increases any of your powers as a citizen. You would do well to keep that in mind. ;)

Now, back to the topic. I agree that if we are to found our first city in the starting locale then we should build on the coast - if indeed it is a sea coast and not a lake coast. I'm not sure if lakes can be larger than one tile or not. I doubt that we'd see an inland sea this far north though. Can we not right click on the water terrain to see if it is lake or sea?

I am still a proponent of roaming south for a while before settling.

Here's what I got out of that mysterious resource, and the possible suspects. Upon closer (literally :D) inspection, it looks to be sort of a 'leg'. Elephants, Furs, and Cattle have such a 'leg'. But, Elephants are thick. Also, furs are in tundra and forest (it doesn't exactly look like tundra, and I'm not sure if it's forest)...

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads/start_resource.jpg

Originally posted by donsig

I am still a proponent of roaming south for a while before settling.

Lead us, O great one, across the deserts, across the river, through the unknown, to the promised land! :lol:

Chieftess, I just see pixels. Maybe it's just the coffee I'm drinking? I'm sure it will all be ours in time...

My 2nd guess would say, it looks like cattle or fur. You can sort of match the legs of the animals.

I would say: roam to the west (go west!).

Originally posted by chiefpaco


Lead us, O great one, across the deserts, across the river, through the unknown, to the promised land! :lol:

Chieftess, I just see pixels. Maybe it's just the coffee I'm drinking? I'm sure it will all be ours in time...

It's the coffee. :lol: I had it blown up so you could try an match-by-pixel.

Yeah, settle immediately, let the first warrior go west!

Anymore discussion on this? And about that mysterious resource?

Originally posted by Chieftess
...And about that mysterious resource?

I beleve that is a Game Bonus Resource. That resorce can provide us with an extra +1 of food.

If I had to voice my opinion (which I don't but will anyway because I can go freedom of speech!) I'd say to go west with one unit and northeast with another. The west is pretty obviously where we're going to want to expand to (looks fertile to me), but being the Sword and Shield of the Sword Rush attack strategy I think we have to check out those mountains up there for some ore. We're going to need it, and the northern mountainous region can probably supply.

I would definately say it looks like a piece of leg to me. What are your overall thoughts as DP, CT?

I'm for getting off to a quick start. While I can see some advantage to moving our capital to the shoreline, I think we have a fine location as is. I like the idea of bringing the settler over to get started on a road to the game, and bringing the first warrior (i assume that will be the first built) through the mountains to the south. I guess the main reasons i'm apposed to moving the capital to the north are:
- loss of first turn production.
- loss of game resource until city radius expands.
- loss of culture radius (capital influence) to the sea... (looks like the bulk of the land is anything but northeast.. though still hard to tell.)

As DP (and Domestic Deputy ;)), I'd save that resource for our second city. Besides, the ocean only gives 1 food until we build a harbor. It would be a canidate for City #2.

That looks an awful lot like a Cattle. The leg placement seems just right, and it can't be game, or furs, because it doesn't appear to be a forest. If it is cattle, then think how fast our capital will grow... Even under depotism it will produce 3 food and 1 shield a turn, meaning less turns will be needed to get a larger city. Thus more settlers and workers. Since settlers and workers are necessary early in the game, it is worth the loss of production late in the game. I say use the worker to explore NW, and then move the settler if it is a cattle. If its wheat(unlikely, but not sure) , I don't know... the shield loss this early might be prohibitive...

On the whole I think I agree with Donal about that resource/bonus tile. Looks very much like a leg o' beef to me.
This is a very irritating situation, since I'd really like to know whether there's a tile directly to the north of that suspected bovine. If there were then I'd propose that for the site of our second city and suggest that we build our capital where we are now. We could move the worker one square north to find out, but this risks delaying the start of tile improvement if we decide to stay where we are. After further thought I do vote that we build where we are, and plant our second city on the coast next to the probable cow. I'd rather risk having a slightly less than perfectly placed capital if it ensures that we're squeezing as much as we can from our early turns. Call me a turn-advantage monomaniac if you will, but this seems to me to be the safest course.

If we're really going to engage in daft speculation then I say it's the thing in the middle which seems to be some kind of deer. The leg looks the same but this can easily be solved by just moving the worker to the coastal square and discovering what special it is.
My question, perhaps a little premature at this stage, is what we plan to do with the worker after he uncovers the special? I'd be tempted to build a road towards possible iron resources, but obviously we have no idea yet where they will appear. I think that it might be a waste of time to road all the mountains straight off as they'll take a long time to do but what else we can do with him?

discover?

which tile and bonus up north would change the mind of the "place now" fraction?

There probably isn't a tile up north worth changing the minds. I think placing the city where the settler is will lead to great production, and the game tile will promote growth.

Bonuses to the NW will simply promote the second city being placed there in my opinion.

oh, and do we want to mine the bonus grassland while still in depotism?

I would mine and road to the NW on the way to the probably second city site.

Oh yeah, and to add to a finished (?) topic, I'm pretty sure that the mystery resource to the north is cattle.... do we know what it is already, or am I up to speed on our map?

Oh, and when it comes to which directions to expand in..... I'd say directly west/southeast (into those mountains, they might have iron or gold or some other resources we'll need) followed by northwest (to take advantage of that resource.) Then I'd send generally send our scouts east.